Kitsap Transit opts for expanded weekday runs over Sunday service

BREMERTON — Kitsap Transit will expand bus service in some fashion in 2018, but those changes won’t include the addition of Sunday service.

On the recommendation of consultant Nelson/Nygaard, Kitsap Transit board members last month agreed to move forward with a planned expansion that would run buses later and more often during the week and on Saturdays instead of adding Sunday routes.

“I wouldn't say it's off the table, I would say it's not going to be the first thing we're implementing,” Kitsap Transit service and capital development director Steffani Lillie said.

The agency has $1.5 million to make improvements, funds that come from transferring the local Port Orchard foot ferry costs to a separate, ferry-only budget.

The biggest stumbling block to Sunday service is the high cost associated with ACCESS, Kitsap Transit’s on-demand bus service for the elderly and people with disabilities. By law, any time the agency operates routed buses, it also has to run ACCESS. That means paying for all the services that are already active during the week like mechanics, supervisors and telephone operators, Lillie said.

“Turning on” ACCESS on Sundays would cost $500,000.

"We can get more services out on the street for our public sooner with more of that $1.5 million … by doing more weekday and longer hours of service Monday through Saturday," Lillie said.

Measuring how much the public really wants routed service on Sundays is another issue.

Nelson/Nygaard was hired in October 2016 to review and analyze of Kitsap Transit’s bus system. After one round of outreach, the firm asked the public to choose from three options: add Sunday service, improve frequency and operating hours on weekdays and Saturdays, or a hybrid of the two plans.

Nearly 3,000 people responded, either through in-person meetings or an online survey. Riders in Bremerton favored adding Sunday service more than other parts of the county, but expanding frequency and hours of operation was more popular overall.

Regardless of what option they preferred, most respondents asked to see a more detailed schedule, according to Tim Payne with Nelson/Nygaard.

“What we got back from the board and especially the staff was a desire to further explore those specifics,” Payne said.

Board members didn't vote on a proposal at their Jan. 16 meeting but generally agreed on moving forward with a plan that extended hours and frequency of service.

"If we could do it all we would, because there's definitely people that realize the impact when we lost Sunday service," county commissioner and board chairman Robert Gelder said.

Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler, who joined the transit board in January, said during his campaign in November that he would push to re-establish Sunday service.

“What it comes down to is in Bremerton, it isolates a large segment of our population that's dependent on public transport, it isolates them for a day," Wheeler said.

Wheeler said he was disappointed that Sunday service wasn’t being included in the expansion, but he added that he would work with the board to streamline after-hours’ service.

"We're expanding service and it doesn't hit what I feel is the highest priority in Bremerton, but there's going to be some benefit realized," Wheeler said.

The next step is crafting an example schedule that will be put out to the public for comment, Lillie said. There’s no timetable for that part yet.

Sunday service isn’t out of the question in the future. Bus ridership has been declining for several years, and Lillie said she hopes the expansion will help.

“Because it has been a long time since we've looked at the service, our trip generators aren't necessarily where the buses are going, so we need to bring the buses to where the people are," Lillie said.